Need help - how to connect my stuff to a new R1200RT

RUNNOR · Mar 11, 2016

Hey guys, it me again. I posted about getting either a '15 or a '16 RT. I'm comfortable with the decisions of which hardware to purchase with this RT, but I'm holding off until I'm confident about how I'm going to get my gadgets to connect to the new Beemer so I can make full use of the bike. So here's a few questions I need your collective help with.

I'm currently using an Autocom (now don't laugh) on my current RT to connect the Radar Detector, Garmin GPS, Ipod, together. I bluetooth the Iphone to the Garmin, and I have music stored on the Garmin, so whatever goes through the Garmin gets to my ears. I also always use ear buds with speakers built in, and not the helmet speakers.

The new RT will have bluetooth wireless functionality built in, and to get the most out of it, I'm thinking of getting a Shuberth helmet with the add-on bluetooth connectivity. Expensive yes.

1. Do any of you use this helmet to connect your stuff to the RT? If so, are you missing any functionality from the bike?

2. How do I use ear buds with this set up?

3. I also read on this forum that one of you used a 4.0 bluetooth transmitter to bypass the RT's 2.0 bluetooth software, so the XM radio output is greatly improved. What does that require?

4. Can I connect everything with bluetooth, including the RD, phone, GPS, and iPOD?

Appreciate your ideas.
John

Omega Man · Mar 12, 2016

Hi John, while you are waiting for bike specific audio connection help, you could check the in forum "Tag Cloud". many of the connectivity questions may find answers through what has had a "Tag" added to the threads.
If you are not familiar with the "Tag Cloud", you can read up on it here- http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?75890-Do-you-ever-use-the-quot-Tag-Cloud-quot
Good luck, please post how you make out.
Gary

JIGGIN · Mar 12, 2016

I ride using a Schuberth helmet. I had not heard a lot of great things regarding their comm units so I installed a Sena 20S. A little more hassle to install but it works great. I run my phone through the GPS through the bike to my helmet. My I-Pod I plug into the bike which then runs through the blue tooth to my helmet. Although I have speakers in my helmet which are pretty good, when I play my I-Pod, I want better fidelity, so I plug my ear speakers into the Sena which has a plug for them. Then I am in the concert hall. I would run your phone and RD through your GPS, your I-Pod through the wire plug-ins in the Rt compartment, and I don't know what you would plug your ear pieces into unless you install a plug on your comm. All of these take a little time to get all synced up, but once you're through you can enjoy them all.

BMW Triumphant · Mar 12, 2016

There is very little room in the right compartment for an iPod and maybe a lightning to normal adaptor, plus the over $130 BMW adaptor cable.

Just put your music on a USB stick ($30 should do it), plug it in directly to the cable in the compartment and you are good to go to select artist, album, ... using the multiwheel.

That assumes your music file has a hierarchy for files such as that used by iTunes, Media Monkey, etc. Artist, Album, song is what I recall the order is.

The Schuberth helmet takes a custom collar made by Cardo. Don't know if it has provision for earbuds. My Cardo G9 is the same electronics but that model does not provide for earbuds. A later model may do so, so check with them. Works great.

alancoles · Mar 12, 2016

John, I've got an Autocom on my 2004 R1150RT, but haven't used it since I switched to a Sena SMH10 about 2-3 years ago. Haven't looked back since. I wanted to add some things that required updating my Autocom to run Bluetooth, etc., and the cost of a then new SMH10 dual set wasn't much more, so the choice was easy. If you're anything like me, you'll really enjoy the lack of cables that full Bluetooth affords.

I've got a Schuberth C3 with the Sena SMH10 attached. The really nice thing about the Sena is that all you need is their $30 mounting kit and you can move the "unit" to any of your helmets. I've also got an Arai Vector-II and a Nolan, plus my wife's Nolan all with the $30 mounting kits. Thought about going with a proprietary system like the Nolan or Shuberth, but then realized that I didn't want to get stuck to one helmet manufacturer. That's also why I went with Sena, greater connectivity and to my way of thinking, leading the pack it this field. I'm sure others feel differently, but that's my considered opinion. They now have new and improved 20S and 10S (can be configured via a Smart-app). The 10S will fit my SMH10 mounts (20S uses a slightly different mount), so if I wished to upgrade to the 10S it's just a matter of buying the unit and clipping it into the current mounts. If you've got more than one helmet, or envision doing so, than definitely consider something like the Sena. Even with just one helmet there are strong reason to give it careful consideration.

One feature that doesn't get much notice but to me, should get considerable attention, is the fact that the Sena is one of the only, if not the only, unit that can be used while it is being charged. Doesn't sound like much, especially as these things have very good battery life, but many BMW riders do multi-day rides and I've found from experience that on day 2-3 you may be getting low on juice, especially if you're riding with others and involved in discussing things like fuel/food/rest stops, keeping tabs on iffy drivers, etc., etc. Just run a micro-USB cord to the unit for power and you're good to go charging the unit while you ride and use it. Really helpful at the end of a long day in strange territory where you'd really like to keep hearing those GPS directions to find your stopping point. Carl Reese recently broke the LA to NYC record by riding a BMW K1600GT in under 39 hours. I head the talk he gave at Max BMW on Feb 20th., and it was very interesting and informative. He had several problems along the way, one of which was that the Schuberth communication system can not be used while charging.

As was mentioned the Senas have a plug for earbuds so if you like to use them it is super easy. I know folks who use both. They use the Sena hardwired speakers when they're just tooling around and use the plugin earbuds when doing longer rides. Best of both worlds. The "always there" convenience of the in-helmet speakers and quality of earbuds when they want.

RUNNOR · Mar 12, 2016

thanks Gary, I'll look into the Tag Cloud.
John

RYD1WD · Mar 13, 2016

After getting frustrated and discouraged with the limitations of Bluetooth for multiple devices, I pulled my 10 year old Autocom Active 7 Smart out of the box and set it up the way I had it on my '04 ST1300 for 8 years... no regrets, the Autocom is still a more complete solution for those who don't get hung up on plugging in, IMO.

alancoles · Mar 13, 2016

I agree that the Autocom works very well. Especially compared to many of the Bluetooth setups on the market.

However to be fair, I think if one is going to compare what is likely the "King" of wired-communications (Autocom), than it should be compared against the top of the heap for wireless-communications (Sena) and not to the Cardo/BMW/Schuberth setup which is no better than second to the Sena, or worse still something below a Cardo. That's not to say that the Sena can't be a bit of a problem for people from time to time, but most are very happy with them.

For me the amount of connectivity has never been an issue. In addition to my SMH10, I have the Sena SR10 for non-Bluetooth items like my 2-way Radio etc.

The SR10 is a Class 1 Bluetooth Two-way Radio adapter based on Bluetooth 2.1+EDR technology. You can connect various two-way radio devices in the market by using SR10 and may talk wirelessly using Bluetooth headsets The Sena SR10 bluetooth two-way radio hub has two AUX ports that enable you to connect non-Bluetooth devices such as radar detector or GPS navigation. Along with the Sena SR10 bluetooth audio gateway, you can talk by phone or by two-way radios at the same time, listen to an alarm signal from radar detector and listen to the guides from GPS Navigation.

I love being free from the umbilical cord, but will admit that if you are comfortable with having to plug into the bike each time you get on (forgetful me would sometimes have to stop and remember to plug in), you can't beat the quality of the Autocom experience.

Only problem now is that many riders are moving away from the 2-way in favour of in/on helmet communications and Autocom can't communicate with them.

Unlike many of it's competitors the Sena will fairly easily pair up to most Bluetooth competitors and not constantly be losing the connection. That means if you want to go riding with someone that isn't a regular riding companion and they've got a Cardo/BMW/Schuberth, Midland, J&B, Nolan, etc., you can likely pair up and have that convenience/safety. I ride with five different groups and individual friends, etc., so flexibility across platforms is very helpful for me. Otherwise, aside from that and having hit my head way too many times and being more forgetful now to the point that hard-wiring me into anything is problematic, I'd likely still be rocking the Autocom and be quite blissful doing it. ;-)

RUNNOR · Mar 14, 2016

JIGGIN said:
I ride using a Schuberth helmet. I had not heard a lot of great things regarding their comm units so I installed a Sena 20S. A little more hassle to install but it works great. I run my phone through the GPS through the bike to my helmet. My I-Pod I plug into the bike which then runs through the blue tooth to my helmet. Although I have speakers in my helmet which are pretty good, when I play my I-Pod, I want better fidelity, so I plug my ear speakers into the Sena which has a plug for them. Then I am in the concert hall. I would run your phone and RD through your GPS, your I-Pod through the wire plug-ins in the Rt compartment, and I don't know what you would plug your ear pieces into unless you install a plug on your comm. All of these take a little time to get all synced up, but once you're through you can enjoy them all.

Thank you Jiggin, I've heard some concerns also about the BMWcomm system. Not sure I can connect both Phone and RD to the GPS, but if so, that would be a simple approach. What do you think about the BMW Bluetooth system when it comes to audio quality? I've heard that since it is only 2.0, it has poorer quality than the Sena 4.0 Bluetooth? Or does that only come into play with the onboard XM radio?
John

RUNNOR · Mar 14, 2016

BMW Triumphant said:
There is very little room in the right compartment for an iPod and maybe a lightning to normal adaptor, plus the over $130 BMW adaptor cable.

Just put your music on a USB stick ($30 should do it), plug it in directly to the cable in the compartment and you are good to go to select artist, album, ... using the multiwheel.

That assumes your music file has a hierarchy for files such as that used by iTunes, Media Monkey, etc. Artist, Album, song is what I recall the order is.

The Schuberth helmet takes a custom collar made by Cardo. Don't know if it has provision for earbuds. My Cardo G9 is the same electronics but that model does not provide for earbuds. A later model may do so, so check with them. Works great.

Thank you for that information into the Cardo units. Are you using the Cardo unit that fits into the helmet neck liner or is yours one of the Sena type units that attach on the outside of the helmet? BTW, are you using a Shuberth helmet? If so, how do you like it?
John

RUNNOR · Mar 14, 2016

AlanColes said:
John, I've got an Autocom on my 2004 R1150RT, but haven't used it since I switched to a Sena SMH10 about 2-3 years ago. Haven't looked back since. I wanted to add some things that required updating my Autocom to run Bluetooth, etc., and the cost of a then new SMH10 dual set wasn't much more, so the choice was easy. If you're anything like me, you'll really enjoy the lack of cables that full Bluetooth affords.

I've got a Schuberth C3 with the Sena SMH10 attached. The really nice thing about the Sena is that all you need is their $30 mounting kit and you can move the "unit" to any of your helmets. I've also got an Arai Vector-II and a Nolan, plus my wife's Nolan all with the $30 mounting kits. Thought about going with a proprietary system like the Nolan or Shuberth, but then realized that I didn't want to get stuck to one helmet manufacturer. That's also why I went with Sena, greater connectivity and to my way of thinking, leading the pack it this field. I'm sure others feel differently, but that's my considered opinion. They now have new and improved 20S and 10S (can be configured via a Smart-app). The 10S will fit my SMH10 mounts (20S uses a slightly different mount), so if I wished to upgrade to the 10S it's just a matter of buying the unit and clipping it into the current mounts. If you've got more than one helmet, or envision doing so, than definitely consider something like the Sena. Even with just one helmet there are strong reason to give it careful consideration.

One feature that doesn't get much notice but to me, should get considerable attention, is the fact that the Sena is one of the only, if not the only, unit that can be used while it is being charged. Doesn't sound like much, especially as these things have very good battery life, but many BMW riders do multi-day rides and I've found from experience that on day 2-3 you may be getting low on juice, especially if you're riding with others and involved in discussing things like fuel/food/rest stops, keeping tabs on iffy drivers, etc., etc. Just run a micro-USB cord to the unit for power and you're good to go charging the unit while you ride and use it. Really helpful at the end of a long day in strange territory where you'd really like to keep hearing those GPS directions to find your stopping point. Carl Reese recently broke the LA to NYC record by riding a BMW K1600GT in under 39 hours. I head the talk he gave at Max BMW on Feb 20th., and it was very interesting and informative. He had several problems along the way, one of which was that the Schuberth communication system can not be used while charging.

As was mentioned the Senas have a plug for earbuds so if you like to use them it is super easy. I know folks who use both. They use the Sena hardwired speakers when they're just tooling around and use the plugin earbuds when doing longer rides. Best of both worlds. The "always there" convenience of the in-helmet speakers and quality of earbuds when they want.

Thank you Alan, after hearing from you and the others, I'm pretty well convinced the Sena is the way to go. So just so I'm clear on this, what functionality do you give up on the RT by not having the BMW comm system? Really appreciate your detailed response. Do you run an RD and your phone and an IPod for music? And do your listen to the XM radio? I've heard the on board BMW 2.0 Bluetooth is pretty bad quality wise compared to the current 4.0 that Sena and others use now.
John

RUNNOR · Mar 14, 2016

AlanColes said:
I agree that the Autocom works very well. Especially compared to many of the Bluetooth setups on the market.

However to be fair, I think if one is going to compare what is likely the "King" of wired-communications (Autocom), than it should be compared against the top of the heap for wireless-communications (Sena) and not to the Cardo/BMW/Schuberth setup which is no better than second to the Sena, or worse still something below a Cardo. That's not to say that the Sena can't be a bit of a problem for people from time to time, but most are very happy with them.

For me the amount of connectivity has never been an issue. In addition to my SMH10, I have the Sena SR10 for non-Bluetooth items like my 2-way Radio etc.

I love being free from the umbilical cord, but will admit that if you are comfortable with having to plug into the bike each time you get on (forgetful me would sometimes have to stop and remember to plug in), you can't beat the quality of the Autocom experience.

Only problem now is that many riders are moving away from the 2-way in favour of in/on helmet communications and Autocom can't communicate with them.

Unlike many of it's competitors the Sena will fairly easily pair up to most Bluetooth competitors and not constantly be losing the connection. That means if you want to go riding with someone that isn't a regular riding companion and they've got a Cardo/BMW/Schuberth, Midland, J&B, Nolan, etc., you can likely pair up and have that convenience/safety. I ride with five different groups and individual friends, etc., so flexibility across platforms is very helpful for me. Otherwise, aside from that and having hit my head way too many times and being more forgetful now to the point that hard-wiring me into anything is problematic, I'd likely still be rocking the Autocom and be quite blissful doing it. ;-)

Boy I understand the quality of the Autocom set up. Never had any trouble with it, and the audio quality is top notch for me. My only hesitation in going to wireless systems, is the audio quality. I just don
T want to be disappointed in crummy audio quality. And I want to enjoying the XM radio, which I hear might have a quality problem.
Thanks guys for both sides of this conversation.

John

JIGGIN · Mar 15, 2016

Only problem I have had with the bike's Bluetooth is that occasionally with XM it will cut out. I then will switch to speakers on and then switch to off and it will come right back on. Other than that happening occasionally, the sound is very good with the helmet speakers. I always wear the ear plugs and the sound is very good, I suspect better with them than not.

burangs · Mar 15, 2016

I have been quietly following this thread. Lots of good information. As it stands right now, I think I am sold on the Sena 20S for a 2014 R1200RT, Nav V, iPhone6, and a Nolan N104 Evo helmet(s).

Music is the lowest priority, following just behind phone calls. Number one is the Nav V with traffic and/or weather alerts using the Garmin Smartlink APP. Further connectivity to a pillion, or another rider, would be nice --but that seems to be a problem for the non BMW sets?

patm · Mar 15, 2016

burangs said:
I have been quietly following this thread. Lots of good information. As it stands right now, I think I am sold on the Sena 20S for a 2014 R1200RT, Nav V, iPhone6, and a Nolan N104 Evo helmet(s).

Music is the lowest priority, following just behind phone calls. Number one is the Nav V with traffic and/or weather alerts using the Garmin Smartlink APP. Further connectivity to a pillion, or another rider, would be nice --but that seems to be a problem for the non BMW sets?

No worries, Senas as well as Scalas and others can talk with a pillion or in most cases with other Bluetooth comm devices, even when connected to multiple other devices. They usually work best with similar brand devices. The Sena being on top in regards to working with other brands.

littlefield · Mar 15, 2016

Even with quality GMS radios I could never get good bike-to-bike communications with my Autocom. The Sena units work great for that.

alancoles · Mar 15, 2016

RUNNOR said:
Thank you Alan, after hearing from you and the others, I'm pretty well convinced the Sena is the way to go. So just so I'm clear on this, what functionality do you give up on the RT by not having the BMW comm system? Really appreciate your detailed response. Do you run an RD and your phone and an IPod for music? And do your listen to the XM radio? I've heard the on board BMW 2.0 Bluetooth is pretty bad quality wise compared to the current 4.0 that Sena and others use now.
John

John, I'm not the best person to answer that, as I've just bought my RTW and haven't taken physical possession of it yet, just psychological and emotional possession. ;-)))

It may well be that there isn't any functionality loss, but others here should know for sure.

My current bike's that I ride most are a 2004 R1150RT and a 2006 Ducati ST3s. Despite the Ducati being marketed as and doing a fairly good job of being a competent touring bike it is really geared far more to the sport end of a Sports Tourer than the touring end. For me the ergonomics are fine for my back and knees but my hands go numb after an hour or so (broke both wrists years ago at the track which is likely at the root of the problem).

With the R1150RT I've run with a 2-way Radio (for communication with a car in our group), rider-to-rider and GPS all at the same time without issues. I don't listen to music (nor XM) when I ride the bike other than the engine/exhaust, so no first-hand experience there, but understand that works fine with all the others. I listen to music and XM when I drive a cage, but that's it. Just my personal preference.

As far as sound quality goes, the Sena SMH10 is fine for my needs but as mentioned, I don't listen to music through it so can't comment directly. However, the newer 10S and 20S have what are supposed to be quite noticeably improved speakers and they, plus the SMH10, all will handle earbuds if they're not to one's liking. I've set mine up with the mounts which allow me to run either so that if I decide I want to go to earbuds I can by simply plugging them into the jack on the mount. The beauty of that is that you then have your full communications system available every time you put your helmet on without having to remember or pre-think anything and if you wish to have the quality of the earbuds you just need to remember to plug them in and your set to go. To me, that's the best of both worlds.

burangs · Mar 22, 2016

My '14 R1200RT is now up and running with the 20S. Everything works as expected, so far.

I will need to spend some time with it before I pass judgment, but one thing seems to be for sure: I purchased the handlebar remote and, well, I just do not like it! It would seem the intent (to be safer) is not achieved with the way it mounts. I find it in the way. Anybody else use one?

EUGENE · Mar 22, 2016

AlanColes said:
John, I'm not the best person to answer that, as I've just bought my RTW and haven't taken physical possession of it yet, just psychological and emotional possession. ;-)))

It may well be that there isn't any functionality loss, but others here should know for sure.

My current bike's that I ride most are a 2004 R1150RT and a 2006 Ducati ST3s. Despite the Ducati being marketed as and doing a fairly good job of being a competent touring bike it is really geared far more to the sport end of a Sports Tourer than the touring end. For me the ergonomics are fine for my back and knees but my hands go numb after an hour or so (broke both wrists years ago at the track which is likely at the root of the problem).

With the R1150RT I've run with a 2-way Radio (for communication with a car in our group), rider-to-rider and GPS all at the same time without issues. I don't listen to music (nor XM) when I ride the bike other than the engine/exhaust, so no first-hand experience there, but understand that works fine with all the others. I listen to music and XM when I drive a cage, but that's it. Just my personal preference.

As far as sound quality goes, the Sena SMH10 is fine for my needs but as mentioned, I don't listen to music through it so can't comment directly. However, the newer 10S and 20S have what are supposed to be quite noticeably improved speakers and they, plus the SMH10, all will handle earbuds if they're not to one's liking. I've set mine up with the mounts which allow me to run either so that if I decide I want to go to earbuds I can by simply plugging them into the jack on the mount. The beauty of that is that you then have your full communications system available every time you put your helmet on without having to remember or pre-think anything and if you wish to have the quality of the earbuds you just need to remember to plug them in and your set to go. To me, that's the best of both worlds.

On the Ducati try Buddy Grips for your hands. They work now for me.

BMW Triumphant · Mar 24, 2016

RUNNOR said:
Thank you for that information into the Cardo units. Are you using the Cardo unit that fits into the helmet neck liner or is yours one of the Sena type units that attach on the outside of the helmet? BTW, are you using a Shuberth helmet? If so, how do you like it?
John

I am using a Cardo G9 fitted to a Shoei Neotech. My friend Richard is using the Schuberth helmet with collar.

Both of us like our helmets. Both of us like to listen to music while we ride. The intercom between bikes is a continuing problem though, although I think I know why, and it has nothing to do with the G9 or collar electronics.

I have a Nav V GPS Samsung Galaxy S5 and everything works by the book. Richard has an iPhone and uses it for music and GPS too. When I try to call him on the road, we have trouble connecting. He says his music cuts off and does not restart. Volume is low in my headset so I can't hear him. Yet, when we stop for gas and I call him or he calls me, the connection is perfect. I think he turns off the music, or the GPS, or both and all is well.

He is not as amenable as I am to the "one purpose, one device" approach. I use the memory stick and BMW Audio system for music, a GPS for GPS, and a phone for phone uses. The cardo has two independent Bluetooth radios, so does the BMW audio system and this allows the required connection capability.

I don't think the iPhone has enough Blutooth radios to permit the type of flexibility needed and so inter-bike communication is the throw-away.

I will try to get him to experiment, but ...

This whole subject of integration of our electronic devices is very poorly described by each and every one of the manufacturers as far as I can tell. It's very hard even for me to find clear and simple statements about all this. The manufacturers seem to not want us to understand how their products work, and this prevents us from knowing which system element is causing our distress.

Need help - how to connect my stuff to a new R1200RT

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